


You want to finish what I started. Well ever thought there could be a reason I didn't finish it?

by KittyPaw



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Anakin can only take so much at a time, Anakin is so tired of people calling him Darth Vader every time he shows up, Emotional, Flashbacks, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Gen, he's trying, the skywalker family tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyPaw/pseuds/KittyPaw
Summary: Ben Solo is just becoming Kylo Ren. This is his first choice to turn to darkness. Anakin can't just watch so he shows up and pleads with him to not do it.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Kudos: 39





	You want to finish what I started. Well ever thought there could be a reason I didn't finish it?

Ben Solo - no, not anymore. _Kylo Ren_ took a seat in his new quarters. Here he was, with the First Order. Finally granted access to everything he ever could have possibly -

"Ben."

\- wanted?

"Who... who is that?"

Anakin appeared in front of him, and Kylo gasped. "You're Darth Vader!" Then he paused. "Um, I promise I'll do a good job with darkness and -"

"Ben, you should probably stop talking," Anakin suggested. Kylo nodded, tongue-tied. "So you did it, then. Dark Side squad."

Kylo nodded, then decided to trust his mouth again. "Yeah, you are so inspiring -"

"Let's make it very clear that I am _Anakin Skywalker_ , not Darth Vader," Anakin decided, giving a confused Kylo Ren a pointed look.

"Um... okay? But why?" Kylo wondered. "I'm just trying to make you proud -"

"Oh, I'm done with this vague game," Anakin deadpanned. "Don't turn to the Dark Side, come back to the light."

Kylo Ren blinked. Twice. Then he backed up a step. "What... do you think I can't do as good a job as you or something?"

Anakin laughed and shook his head. "Oh, for heaven's sake. I did not die a Sith, don't you know that? I'm a Jedi! Who became a Sith. Who became a Jedi again right before he died. And honestly, I didn't realize I had fallen until I rose again."

Kylo Ren shook his head. "I don't know what you're doing here, but leave me alone. I'm finally getting the power that I need."

"I know lust for power even more than you," Anakin reminded him. "Trust me - even you called me Darth Vader when I appeared to you. That name left an imprint on the galaxy. I'm trying to make up for it with making a better imprint as Anakin."

"You don't understand!" Kylo Ren shouted, shattering something on the wall. And then another thing. He basically destroyed his room like he did whenever he was angry. "This is what I need! I was betrayed, and shown the truth about the Jedi. They are evil! And so are the Sith. Everybody's evil!" He pulled out his lightsaber and flung it across the room.

"I actually do understand." Anakin had somehow remained calm through Kylo Ren's temper tantrum. "I share that point of view, actually. No, not shared. I was never told any lies by the Sith, though I was deceived by them. They are evil and they are dark. I was lied to by the Jedi, who didn't care at all about my mother or my secret wife or me -" He shook his head. "The Jedi are far from perfect. In fact, I shouted it right into my master's face that they were evil. And they are."

Now Kylo Ren was even more confused. "So why did you turn back to the light?"

"Because while nobody is perfect, and the world isn't the good guys/bad guys thing everybody's turned it into, the light is what can make you happy," Anakin told him, seeming lost in thought but definitely still in the present. "The darkness is seductive, promising it can give you whatever you want, but in reality it just hurts people. The Dark Side of the Force is designed to torture and kill and do terrible things that make people hurt. And when you kill somebody, it leaves a huge imprint. Their life's work is shattered. Their family is broken. I once killed without a second thought, as well. But all the Dark Side is is a weapon that hurts everyone it touches... including its wielder.

"But the light builds people up. It helps people. It defeats darkness. If you turn on a light in a dark room, the room lights up. But a shadow in a light room can't turn it dark. So while nobody is perfect, and everybody makes terrible mistakes... the Jedi are in the right because they use light. They help and build up. You... and in the past, I... hurt and torture and kill and break the world. Making bad decisions and good decisions is how we grow. Learn from your mistakes." Anakin shook his head. "But if you're smart, you will have already learned from mine."

Kylo Ren was struck by how everything he said made such perfect, clear sense. It laid out all the cards and didn't try to turn everything into Jedi: good, Sith: bad. He understood him. He understood how everybody was evil and that he was just choosing between an evil with power and an evil with less power. And what he said about hurting versus helping made sense, except...

"The world has done so much injustice to me... it deserved to be hurt." Kylo Ren tried to restore the fire to his eyes, but when he could tell it wasn't working, he grabbed his mask and put it over his face.

Anakin shook his head. "Hiding your emotions behind a mask is a sick move. I hope you someday learn that this is a terrible choice." Sighing, he flickered out of sight, disappointed but still having faith in his grandson.

Luke had believed in him.

So he would believe in Ben Solo.


End file.
